Machine for circling metal blanks.



G: R. LAWRENCE.

MACHINE FDR CIRGLING METAL BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1912.

Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1912.

Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1912.

Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

G.,R, LAWRENGE. MACHINE FOR OIRGLING METAL BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1912. 1,038,6@6Q

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WWII/I52.

Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

" Q alliiwhomfe't inay'coac'em: v

" Be ltknowntha'tl, Gnoncn R. Lmvn'nrvcn,

of handling the'older'forln of barrel.

2;, "appare p D description and claims.

"" In thedrawingsaccompanying-and*form- Q in which improvements"inertia-"utilized.

j :GEORGE TA ES PATENT ()FFICE. or crinvniaalvn, vonto, assreivon ro THE W. sLY MANUFAC- TUBING-COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, OHID, A CORPORATION on OHIO.

. 1 QMAcnINE non CIRGL I N G METAL BrlAivKs;

'Spe'eificationof Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 17, 1912. l" a pi eatibir fiiedna 4.,"1912: semi No. seams. 1

@a'cit izen of the United States, residing at Cleveland; in the county of Cuyah'o'ga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new ';and useful f Improvement in Machines for X Circling Metal Blanks, of whichthefollow ing is '.a full, clear, and exact description, re'ferenc'e being had to the accompanying i0 drawings.

This invention relates to rolling machines j whereby n etalsheets orblanks may be bent j circular forin and particularly to a machine Which may be employed for, the manu- 1'-5f facture of bilge barrels. I "Thedesirability of manufacturing barrels flfrem sheet metal has 'longbeen apparent theoretically, but a commercially successful ',1 roces s"of making such a barrel in the bilge 2'0' o'r'rotund form [has not hitherto, to my "knowledge; been produced. It Was at one 7 time proposed to makemetat barrels .of

l fplain cylindrical shape, or of generally cy-i l lindr ic al shape, the sides being formed With zsjfi'arying numbers of projectingcircular ribs, but it wassconfdiscovered' that such. barrels v.viere 'ptjorly received by the trade, partly on account Qfthe conservatism of the Workmen, an'd pa rtl'v because of the greater ease The objectjs of the present invention are, therefore; theprov'isionof'a machine Wherebyblanksof sheet'metal can be expeditiously circledfior rolled into approximate barrel 35Yf0rm; the provision of new and'improved co-acting rollers whereby a bilge barrel can I: j be rolled with a? minimum of slippihg of the rollers and f conse'q uent distortion of the '1 ;blanks;' the provision ofnevv and improved- A 10 mechanism forgu'iding the blank to its fin- "ished form'y'the provision ofv new and ion proved mechanisinffor governing the opera-= "I t-ion ofthernachirie', While further ob ects land adr' antages of theinventioii ivill'become tffron fthe course ofth'e following" improvements are embodied; Ya'ltlionglr 1t I will wanderer-00a that the maeneherejm' f illustrated one of' the maiiy devices front elevation of the completemachine, a

to which is rigidly attached a r0ll"6here;

'ofI-a bilge barrel. This roll is indicated '55 portioneof -thebasefbeing broken away so as .todisc'lose the governing means; Fig. 2 is a right hand"'end elevation of the machine, a portion j of /the adjacent upright being broken away to disclose the manner of sup-v porting the forming shoe'sg Fig. 3 is a vertical, transverse, cross-sectional view taken substantially on the broken line 3-3 of Fig. l and looking inthe direction of thearrows; Fig.4 is a detail"cross sectional view taken;

on the lime-4 of Fig; 1 and looking in the direction 'of the arrows; Fig. '5 is a detail View of the mechanism for operating the lever pawls; and Fig. 6' is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a portion of the idle or driven roll.

Describing the'pa'rts by reference charac- 'ters, 1 indicates thebase of the machine,

22 a pair of upright standards carried thereby, 3 a bracket carried by oneof those.

standards and 4 a drive'shaft journaled-in ,the bracket and adjacent standard. 1i

Journaled in thecs tanda-rds 22 upon a substantially horizontal"; axis .s a shaft 5 180 shoWn' as of generally concave shape for the formation of the barrel exterior, said shaft having a gear Wheel 7 meshing w th a pinion. 8 secured to the drive vshaft 4'.

Adjustably mounted in elongated. guide- 'Ways IO' fQrmed-in the uprights2-2 above the shaft 5 are journal boxes 11, in which vis mounteda second horizontal shaft 12, suitable set screws 13-13, 1414 being-provided for the verticaladjustment of these boxes. The shaft 12 carries the comple- Inentary roll, this roll being in 1 the present instance'of convex orbilge form so as to coiiperate -WilZ-h' the roll 6 int-he formation j generally by the reference character-.15, but instead-of bein made, of a single cmetal -'member, aslhas eretofore been :the case, it

is made .ofa plurality of separately revolubleyfiat, metallic disks 16, independently-$ sleeved iipon the r shaft 12; r The preferred v construction of thesedisksis illustrated in.

'*Fig. 6, wherein it is'seen thateach of the "same comprises 'a flat, annular Web having 'at its outer edge a laterallyre ectingimf 18 and at its: center. a .cylin ricalhub the width twhereofijs': slightly... greater hanthe'vvidth'of the run, so astoengage i like 'thc endsof the adjacent hubs in advance of engagement of the sides of the rims. The hubs 19 are preferably provided with bushings 20 of anti-friction metal, while the 5 disks are held in fixed relation adjacent to ,each other by suitable means such as collars 21 secured to the shaft 12. The impor tance of this'construction-arises from the fact that,-ow1n to the varying diameters of a 1 the two in s, the smallest part of the driven roll tends to rotate more rapidly than "the larger part thereof. When this roll is made inone piece, as heretofore has been done, its rotation is accompanied by a constant slipping of some portion of its surface overthe surface of the adj a'cent roll or over the surface of the sheet of metal which is passing therebetween. The position and I direction of this slipping willdepend upon I 2 v' the relative curvature of the two rolls, since if the driving roll be formed with slightly lesslongitudlnal curvature than the driven roll,the driving will be from the center thereof, thus causing the driven roll to ro- 2'5 tate at its slowest speed.- The result is that r the end "POI'tiOllS of thedriven roll will I f advanceless rapidly than the metal blank and will pull backwardly upon the marginal edges of that blankj'so as to set up strains, in the metal ,lwhich will cause the X page will occur at the-center of the'sheet in a forward direction, but with the same result. Asa matter of fact, in actual practice it'is found that the point of. driving .40" falls somewhere between these limits, with I the iefi'ect that the central portion of the H jsheet iscrowded forward and the marginal portions are retarded,-the result of the operati'on v being v the very -notieeable distort-ion {Q5 of the sheets. and their -idwearing of the rolls. When a sectiona roll is employed it 1 J will be fo'und that this distortion and wearf ing are almost entirely overcome, the different sections of the driven roll advancing 'itoat vrates corres pending" inversely to their to this machine, their curvature bein ,substantially the same as that of the bi e of V the barrel which is to be made there om. v

resent machine isections carired by these awls so thatwhen it'is rocked by means of t e link 43 and grip The purpose of. the merely to circle thesep ates and' bring their ends adjacent to each other preparatory to blank to assumea, warped position and 2 Y render its finishing'a diflicult matter. Like- Y jwis'e, if the driving roll be more rounding A U than thev driven roll, the latter will tend Q35, to rotate at its highest speed, and the slip sleeve.

trough-shape form before being delivered riveting or welding. This circlin .is efiectas it direction in which the curvature is desired. The general, idea of circling ametal blank in this manner is old, but 1n the drawings accompanying this application I have illus- "trated certain novel expedients for facilitating and expediting the operation of these guide blocks or shoes, and'for governing the operation of the rolls, the construction and operation of which will now be described.

The guide shoes in question are illustrated at 25- and 26, respectively, the face of each of said shoes having a longitudinal curvature conforming substantially to that of the driven roll 15 and also having a lateral 5 curvature corresponding substantially to the :varying circumferential curvature of the .same roll. "Each of these shoes has at each [end an arm 27 apertured at 28 for the pas sage of the shaft 5 and formed at the end Eopposite to the shoe with a counterweight .29. The edge of the shoe adjacent to the Troll 6 is pre gstantially to the surface of such roll, as shown in Fig. 3, and remains always at a' gfixed distance from said roll from the fact of its being pivoted about the same axis.

era-bly shaped to conform sub- Secured to each of the shoes 25, 26, as by being pivoted in ears 30-30 formed thereon,

I is a curved rack 31, 32, the ends of which lie close beside each other, as shown in Fig. 1, 'and mesh with pinions 33 and 34 respectively. The pinion 34 is secured to the end of a hollow sleeve35 and the pinion 33 to the endof a shaft 36 projecting through said The inner ends of thesleeve and shaft are journaled in the uprightsides .37-37 of a U-shaped bracket,b etween the upper ends of which arepivoted the rollers 38 whereby the racks are maintained in engagement with their respective pinions. The racks may also be formed with abut- 'ments 39-39 adapted to. en age either the rollers 28 or the sides of'the bracket so as to limit the downward movement of the shoes 25 and 26. The other end of the shaft 36 may be journaled in the upright standard 2, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Secure to the outer end of the sleeve 35 is a rate at wheel 42, and secured to the shaft 36 at a point spaced from this ratchet wheel is-a second ratchet wheel 43, said ratchet .whee'is having their teeth facing in "o posite directions. Journaled upon the -s aft 36 between these ratchet wheels is the wheels 42 and,43, respectively. A button 48 pivoted .to the hub 44 engages suitable pro- 50 the pa'wls will be disengaged from their ratchets. The end of the lever opposite to the handle is preferably provided with a a -counter weight 51, and weighted stop pawls 1 52- 52 are provided for holding the ratchet Wheels 42 and 43 against backward movementii. I

Loosely sleeved upon the drive shaft at are oppositely rotating pulleys 55 and 56, the" end-with a roller 60. v- The hub a l of the le'-.

i :site to; the end of the bar 59 so as to sustain the side ,thrust on the lever; The lower end of the .extension 61 terminates in a seg mental portion 65 having at its ends the ears 66*66-and at its centerthe notch 67. Slidially-projecting finder 69, extending between the ears 6.6and having a bracket 70 formed iwith branches 717 1 extending adjacent to war -he ends of the pawls 52-52. The lower iendofft-he bar; 68 is'articulated to a treadle Mani K2 pivoted about a horizontal axis at 73 and i piojecting through a slot 74:5131 the machine *l'riasepthe lower end of said slot being prefer'ably formed-with an ofi-set portion 75 to i pernntthe treadle to'be held in depressed pov'sitiorr, the forward arm of the treadle being I iformedain two partschinged upon a vertical axis. at 76 for this purpose.

Y The, operation of the machine is as follows: The shoes 25' and 26 are initially de pressed to a point such that a horizontal line 'through the space, between the rolls the rolls: is introduced tl 1ere between Supusing this blank 'to be insertedIover the shee 2-5, the lever'ha'ndle 45. will next be cause it'to engage the pulley 56 and efi'ect the rotation of the rolls in a' direction to draw the plate thercthrough. When 1 ably mounted in a vertical position adjacent 'ittovthis' extension is a bar 68 having a later-.

1 will just pass above their edges, and a blank, I .'-preferably initially curvedto conform'sub- 1 stantiallyvto the longitudinal curvature of used so asto advance the ratchetwheel 4 2 L ne tooth thus raising the sheaf 36 so as to v coibringrthe same into: the path'of ,n 'ovement j o'fthe jblank,-wandbsimultaDQOlElY shifting;

theclutch spool. 57, toward the right so asto' I i "ne'cessarily]'desbribed by invention in detail,

it ll plate has nearly passed through the rolls, the lever 45 will be depressed so as simultaneously to advance the ratchet wheel 43, thus raising the shoe 2:), and to shift the clutch spool 57 into engagement with the pulley 55, thus reversing the movement of the blank. When the blank has nearly ,left the rolls in the oppositedirection,

the attendant again raises the lever 45 so as to elevate the shoe 26 another step and reverse the direction of movement of the blank,,this operation being repeated as many times as may be necessary to circle the blank by the required amount. When this point has-been reached the lever- 45 is brought to mid position, thus shifting the clutch spool to its neutral point, and the grip- 50 is operated to disengage the pawls l6 and 47. The treadle 72 is then depressed into the notch 75 so as to introducethe fin-.

ger 69 into the notch 57 so as to lock the clutch, and simultaneously to raise the pawls 52 so as to free the ratchetwheels 42 and 43 and permit the shoes 25 and 26 to fall to their original positon. The extent towhich the circling operation is carried will ordinarily be limited only by the necessity for leaving suflicient room between the ends of the blank to permit the withdrawal of the same from the roll 15. Inasmuch as the diameter of this roll will ordinarily be considerably less than that of the completed barrel. and as the metal blank will possess a cer tain amount of elasticity, the ends of the same can be broughtreasona'bly close together without rendering unduly difiicult the removal of the same from the machine. The adjacent ends of the blank can then be trimmed to the required shape and brought together in a suitable press so as to permit riveting or welding, the barrel heads being afterward applied in any convenient mannor.

can be employed without departure from my present invention. Itis also possible to roll the blanks only into semici1'cula1mform, afterward securing two such blanks together to form .a completed barrel. The angular movementof the lever 45 will be limited by the engagement of the projections 66 with thefinger'69, this movement being sul'ficient to cause I the shoes to past eachoth'er. I I

It will beunderstood that while I have described my improvement in connection with'a barrehforming machine it will be possible to employ the same in-the manufacture of other'devices-thanbarrels without progress alternately departing from the scope of my invention.

It will also be j iin'derstoodthat while I have I do not propose 'tobe limited to such de- At-ailS, except as the same may be positively Several other expedients havebeen suggested for removing the blank from the rolling machine, any of which expedients the combination with a driving roll, difl'er-' ent portions of which are .of different diameter, of a shaft substantially parallel with the axis of said driving roll, means for'adjusting" said shaft toward and from the same, a plurality of separately revoluble disks independently sleeved on said shaft,

the diameter of said disks being complementary to the diameter of the portions of said driving roll opposite which they lie. said disks forming together a driven roll, and means for rotating said first roll.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a driving roll having a longitudinally curved outer surface, of a driven roll rotatable about an axis parallel to said first roll and having its outer surface curved longitudinally complementarily to said first roll, said driven roll being formed of a plurality of separately revoluble circular sections.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a driving roll having a longitudinally curved outer surface, of a shaft supported in a position substantially parallel to said driving roll, a plurality of separately revoluble disks independently sleeved on said shaft and having their collective outer surface curved longitudinally complementarily to said first roll, said disks being formed with interiorly located spacing means whereby their peripheries are maintained out of engagement with each other. V

5. In a barrel-forming machine, the combination of a pair of parallel rolls having their outer surfaces complementarily curved in alongitudinal direction, means for driving one of said rolls so as to draw a metal plate therebetween, and a forming member adapted to engage said plate as it passes between said rolls and deflect the same cir cularly in the direction of said driven roll, said driven roll being formed of aplurality of independently rotatable, circular sections sleeved on a common shaft.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pair of parallel rolls and a deflecting member at each side, of said rolls, of means for alternately advancing said deflecting members in a step-by-step manner so as to bring the same more com- 'pletely to obstructing position, and means governed by said advancing means for rotating said rolls inthe direction of the defleeting member last advanced. 1

p 7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pair of parallel rolls and a deflecting shoe at each side of said rolls, of a single os'cillable member, means for limiting the oscillation of said member, connections between said member and each of said shoes whereby, upon the movement of said member from one limit to the other,

one of said shoes will be advanced more completely into obstructing position than the other shoe, and means operated by the movement of said member from one limit to the other for reversing the direction of rotation of said rolls so as to cause the advance of a blank toward the shoe last ad vanced.

8. In a device ofthe character described, the combination with a pair of parallel rolls and a deflectin shoe at each side of said rolls, of a sing e oscillable member, means for limiting the oscillation of said member, connections between said member and each of said shoes whereby, upon the movement of said member from one limit to the other, one of said shoes will be advanced more completely into obstructing position than the other shoe, means cooperating with said member for causing the rotation of said rolls in opposite directions when said member is in opposite extreme positions, and means for preventing the rotation of said rolls when said member is in mid-position.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a pair of parallel rolls and a deflecting shoe at each side of said rolls, both of said shoes being movable about an axis coincident with the axis of one of said rolls, of a pair of oppositely rotating members, means for alternately advancing said shoes in a step-by-step manner in the direction of the roll other than the one about which they are pivoted so as to bring the same more completely into obstructing position, and means operated by said advancing means for connecting one of said rolls successively with one of said rotating members whereby said rolls are rotated in the direction of the shoe last advanced.

10. Ina device of the character described, the combination, with a pair of parallel rolls and a deflectin shoe at each side of said rolls, both of said shoes being movable about the axis coincident-with the axis of one of said rolls, of a rack connected to each of saidshoes, a pinion meshing with each of said racks, a ratchet wheel connected to each of said pinions, a pawl for each of said ratchet wheels, and means for advancing said pawls alternately to advance said shoes alternately into obstructing position.

.11. In a device of the character described,-

:wheels, a pair of pawls carried by said member, one 0 said pawls engaging eachof said ratchetwheels and adapted to advance the same in a direction to-advance the .corre sponding shoe when said member is moved from one direction to the other, and means cooperating with said member for causing the rotation of said rolls in opposite directions. when said member is in opposite extreme positions and for preventing the rotation of said rolls when said member is in mid-position.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. LAWRENCE.

Vi tnesses HARoLD E. SMITH, BRENNAN B. WEST. 

